Pai, Thailand

After much thought and self-reflection, I have decided to *finally* post about Pai. This is a bit out of order from the actual order of events during my trip.

I actually went: 

Bangkok→ Chiang Mai→ Pai→ Chiang Rai→ Chiang Mai→ Bangkok→ Singapore→ Home.

HOWEVER, seeing as though I went to Chiang Mai twice, I have quite a bit to say about it, so I’m going to clump those stories together later. 

Here we go…

Pai is a very unique place. It is super small, very far north and is, quite honestly, a backpacker town of travelers in rural Thailand. 

Top Left Corner = Pai

I started by catching a small bus from Chiang Mai that would take approximately 3 hours through the bendy roads in the Northern Thailand mountains. 

This road has over 750 twists and turns, and is known by travelers as quite the interesting ride. 

The buses have collections of plastic bags for motion sick riders, and it will not stop under any circumstances, except for a single bathroom break at the halfway point. 

I bought my bus ticket from 12GoAsia for 200 Thai Baht (~$6.00) and was assigned a window seat in the very back of the bus. Buses frequent the multiple stations in Chiang Mai, and buying a ticket the day before is usually a good setup for success. The traveler anxiety was palpable as we awaited our driver to board. My backpacks were in between my legs and on my lap, and I was already starting to feel clammy. 

Our driver climbed aboard and we were instantly off. We got out of the bustling city of Chiang Mai and quickly made our way to the mountains. Thai drivers turn fast, drive fast, slip between other vehicles, and only use their brakes at the very last minute. I was in for a wild ride! 

After about 40 minutes of highway driving, we turned onto the road that we had all heard about. 

Our driver didn’t slow down or even pause for each turn. I was majorly focused on looking forward out the window, trying to track the road to know the turns before they happened. Even with this and my constant sniffing of herbal oil (ginseng root, mint, eucalyptus), I was still slightly nauseated. This might have been due to the local couple in front of me who went through about 5 barf bags along the drive. But we did not stop. 

The mountains themselves were absolutely breathtaking. A mix of jungle and brush, lush green colors, mixed with massive flowers coming off of the trees. 

3 hours later, we arrived at the bus station in Pai. We hobbled off, jelly legged and excited for some fresh air and solid land. 

I found a small cafe along the main strip of shops and restaurants in town for some lunch and settling down. People watching while sitting at an outside table showed mainly western tourists meandering the shops and stalls, speaking in many different languages (German, Italian, English mostly), and deciding what they wanted to try for lunch that day. The locals were far outnumbered by tourists.

Humorously, the vast majority of these tourists were covered in white bandages, gauze, and road rash from the various moped crashes. Moped scooters were the main form of transportation in Pai. Rentals are around 250 Baht/day (~$8.00), and some rental companies even have short training sessions to teach you how to ride them. I chose not to rent one as I was traveling alone and didn’t want to give my mother a heart attack. 

I FaceBook Messaged the hostel that I booked- Deejai Pai Backpacker’s Hostel- because they had a shuttle service from town to the hostel. 

My scooter shuttle showed up and I hopped on the back with my bags and we rode along the small town roads to Deejai Hostel. 

On the outer edge of town, Deejai is a relaxing hostel; birds chirping, dogs running around, people relaxing on hammocks, reading books, listening to chill jams, talking to new found friends. It was just the reset that most travelers search for. 

I got my lower bunk bed in a 16-bed dorm room, freshened up, then made my way out to go for a little walk and stretch my legs from the bus ride. 

I decided to walk from the hostel to the Wat Phra That Mae Yen (Big White Buddha Temple) that sits on the top of a hill overlooking Pai. 

Less than a mile there, I was still soaked with sweat. The streets of Pai are all hills, and not easily walkable I soon learned. 

At the base of Wat Phra That Mae Yen, I put on my pants and covered my shoulders out of respect for the culture, and began my ascent up the 353 white stairs. I read that this was meant as a meditative practice. To get in tune with the physical body and mind while walking up the stairs. And it was. I zoned out to the sounds of the Earth as I steadily climbed, coming closer and closer to the giant white statue at the top. 

The view was stunning. You could see Pai in its entirety, with a hazy overcast from the fires. 

Thai farmers burn their fields each season despite governmental rules not to in order to prep their rice fields for the next batch. They also burn mounds of trash as they do not have a waste system effective enough to dispose properly. Because of these practices, Thailand has some of the highest pollution scores on record, sometimes even surpassing Hong Kong. There is often military (governmental) bribery and under-the-table payments made by farmers in order to continue this practice and not get in trouble with the law. 

Anyway, as I was taking in the serenity of the Buddha and relishing over the Pai location, I noticed a mother and daughter taking a photo in front of the Wat. I looked over and offered to take their picture. In common traveler style, we participated in small talk: “How long have you been traveling?” “Where have you been so far?” “Where are you from?” With the ask of that final question, they replied, “Colorado.” 

Clearly excited, we continued the conversation until we realized that she and I had gone to the same high school in tiny, little Longmont, Colorado! She graduated the year after me, and I swam on the swim team with her sister. What are the odds of that?! 

We got this picture, swapped phone numbers, and realized in awe how small and huge the world is. One of a few moments on this trip that I was amazed by the chance of an occurrence. 

The night ended in a similar, simple fashion. I walked 1.5 miles to the walking street in the town of Pai. This main street closes to scooters and cars during the evening and is lined with small food vendors, craft vendors, and live music. 

The more unique thing about this experience was that the food was from all different places, not just Thai food. They had American style burgers and sandwiches, gyros, Middle Eastern meat and veggie pockets called sambousek, crepes, Chinese food, gyoza, and traditional Thai meals. The walking street was filled to the edges with tourists and travelers alike. It was a neat experience because you could get small portions of any of it (except for the American food) for super cheap (30-100 TB, or $1-$4). That way you could try a multitude of different ethnic foods and diversify your palette. 

I got a taste of many things, then sat at a live music bar soaking it all in. While I was eating, I was speaking to the waiter about the town. He was also a traveler from the US, but had been living in Pai for almost a year. He informed me of some fun events happening in the town that were slightly lesser known. 

And so, I headed down a side street to a coffee shop called Art In Chai. 

It was here that I was told that there would be some music, specifically steel drums, and slam poetry readings. 

I walked down the street and joined a group heading to the same event. We took our shoes off at the door, and scattered looking for small spaces to fit in to listen. The room was filled with hippie travelers silently listening to the meditative steel drum music. It smelled of coffee and Tiger Balm. It swayed with the people entranced.

Several slam poets spoke after that. They spoke of mindfulness, being a woman, nature, and taking chances; the hippies snapping and hollering with moments they appreciated.

It was a beautiful night; a perfect intro to Pai.

The next morning, I woke up bright and early to partake in the meditation and yoga sessions held by the hostel. We laid our mats in the open air looking out at the fields and mountains.

We did 30 minutes of meditation- partly guided, partly silent- and it was the longest 30 minutes of my life. I am not well-practiced in meditation, so it was super challenging to sit straight, still, and attempt to clear my mind. I have more respect now than ever for people who have mastered the skill. 

Following meditation was an hour of yoga. This was so needed and lovely. We went through a relaxing flow led by a teacher from California. I left that hour feeling more level headed and peaceful than I had felt in days. 

I ordered breakfast from the hostel and sat next to another couple of travelers- Kleber from Montreal, and Miami Mike) who had done the meditation and yoga as well. They were discussing their plans to find hot springs for the day’s adventure, and asked if I wanted to join. Not having a scooter put me in a difficult place, but Kleber happily let me ride on his. 

We shoveled down breakfast, got in our swimsuits, and hit the road.

We rode up some winding turns of the Pai mountains until we found the turn off. We paid a small entrance fee, then continued up the even steeper, windier road. 

Kleber and I were attempting to climb a very steep hill, but the scooter wouldn’t budge with the weight of both of us. I hopped off as Miami Mike wheeled past us, laughing. Problem was, he was laughing so hard that he tipped a little, put his foot down on loose gravel, lost his footing, and his bike plummeted into the ravine on the side of the road. 

All parties were OK!

It took 3 of us, plus two cars full of local Thai people to heave the scooter out of the ravine (Thai people are unbelievably kind and generous. Always willing to lend a helping hand). 

Good news was that the scooter still worked! So even though we were covered in some sort of itchy plant, scrapes from the gravel, and sweat, we still made it up the hill and the next few hills to the hot springs.

The Sai Ngam Hot Springs were incredible! 

I wouldn’t say that they were necessarily “hot,” but they were very warm, beautiful, and peaceful.

We relaxed and chatted in the pools for a while before another group of travelers got there. There were around 6 of them, coming from a different hostel in town. This group had a couple of nurses from Ireland, a man from Germany (traveling for over 8 months, deaf, knew many sign languages, such an inspiration), and a couple of Americans. 

They all easily joined into our conversation. What started as small talk soon turned into deep conversations of life, journeys, experiences, goals, and plans. We partook in the mud face painting, laughed until it cracked, then decided to all head to a lookout/dinner area for snacks.

Our biker gang was hilarious. We went back into Pai and turned onto a very steep, dirt road (huge trust exercise riding on the back of a stranger’s scooter). The top was well worth the breath-holding.

Sun rays peeking out of the clouds, rice fields scattered everywhere, huts in clusters, lush, green forests as far as the eye could see. 

We walked barefoot into a bamboo hut filled with red beanbag chairs and low tables. The waiter asked for our drink and food choices, then let us chat and take in the view. We were the only ones there and after a soak in the hot springs all day, this was just our vibe.

We then trekked back down the dirt road to another lookout spot for sunset. This spot is located near the Santichon Village of Pai (Chinese Village), and is called the Yun Lai Viewpoint. 

We found a super fun toy here. 

A red, metal Ferris wheel was perched perfectly at this viewpoint. And with only small buckles for safety, what could go wrong?!

Flying a little out of your seat every time the wheel went around was an absolute blast, and I am astonished that no one got injured (thank goodness). 

We walked around this area and got coffees to watch the sun set over Pai. It was the perfect moment for a perfect day. 

I realized in Pai, that sharing these experiences was the most special part of the trip. Making friends abroad is way easier since everyone is in the same boat, but I still thought that I had to do it alone. So not true. These memories are some of my fondest of the trip solely because I shared them with beautiful, inspiring, wonderful humans whom I am still in contact with! We check in on each other from time to time,; making sure that the transition back to reality is going well and asking about future trips. 

I am eternally grateful for the friends I met in Pai.

The following day, I booked a different flight home- one through Singapore and not China per the COVID-19 flight restrictions. Then, I got on another minibus back to Chiang Mai before another one to Chiang Rai.

More stories to come!

Thanks for listening!